Hello lovely world! It’s been a long, long time! Since we’ve talked last, I reached a year in site which felt like a big accomplishment and more importantly have got a few projects started which makes me feel like rock star that has relocated to rural Peru (that is what I am, right?). They always say your second year is much more successful work wise and I am starting to feel that. It takes so long to figure out how to motivate people (okay, well other than free food and Inca Kola) and maybe I was the guiltiest party of all (because the free food and Inca Kola didn’t do it for me). It takes time to get used to everything and sometimes when you think you have, you realize you are just going through the motions. But now I think of my life here as my real life and wake up happy and ready to go, even if the day is back breaking manual labor in the farms. Not going to lie though- it sure is easier if that’s NOT on the agenda but this time of year is planting season and so I am out there weeding, plowing, and planting too. I thought that rural living in Peace Corps would include that but didn’t quite envision the part of me physically doing it. Oops- just missed that one minor detail. On the other hand, it’s a way to help out a family that everyone in my town gets a kick out of and loves to see. Brownie points basically.I am working on what I thought would be a library but am realizing that it probably won’t be a huge library stocked full of beautiful gleaming books. It is going to be a little smaller (guess I am learning my envisioning skills aren’t always accurate) but it’s okay because just having some resources will be a huge improvement. And, the real emphasis is getting kids to utilize these new paper things that are SOOO BORING and, of course, change that mentality too. I received a small grant to start this and am also waiting for a few more shipments of books from an American NGO. Donations really do good things.
Also I learned how to make bracelets out of colored string and taught that in my site. It is so ironic because I didn’t even really want to do this, procrastinated forever to do it and then I ended up teaching the class (actually I was a student in the first class and my friend Mario taught that one) and it was crazy popular. So popular in fact that the one night class has been repeated three times and might turn into a club. All that stuff about letting the town chose the projects and not just complete your own agenda turns out to be true. And, I am also starting to teach two new classes: Introduction to Tourism and a new round of business classes in my town. More to come on this but just getting it all set up feels so damn good. It’s been a year long struggle to be able to say even this much. Well kids, it’s time to say see you later, or hasta luego, (you don’t say bye here or adiós) and go get ready for a fun night out of dancing- one of the best perks of living in this beautiful country and having this lovely job.